HOW BIG IT WAS

Janjucetus was a small whale that lived around 25 million years ago off the Victorian coast. It hunted large fish for food, gripping them between its sharp teeth with the help of powerful jaw muscles.

Despite having fearsome teeth, the skull bones of Janjucetus show that it was in fact a very primitive baleen whale – but without baleen. Janjucetus is therefore a vivid evolutionary link between ancient whales and the modern Blue Whale.

A TRAIL THROUGH TIME

Australia's oldest mammal fossils are over 100 million years old. See how they have changed over time.